How The Living Feels Alive
by Windblown.child
Summary: After the Genetic Opera, Shilo Wallace and Graverobber meet again.


Again, I don't own anything from Repo, don't make any money, and just enjoy playing with it.

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How The Living Feel Alive

The grave robber had always tried to live his life to the fullest. That included not regretting things he had done. But as he still had a human heart, he couldn't help but regret some things to a point. He regretted jumping from a third story window when he was 12 as he broke his ankle and had to work harder than usual to survive. He regretted not saying goodbye the night before his mother was repossessed. She hadn't told him she hadn't paid the debt on her kidneys. He regretted trying Zydrate at 19. It had taken him 2 years to break free of the glow, only he never really did. Only passed the addiction on to others and profited from it.

And now, as he stood knee deep in dead bodies, he wanted to regret ever having met a tiny pale girl named Shilo Wallace. Graverobber had only seen her a handful of times, but she was clean and pure and reminded him of the Zydrate he extracted from the dead. A vial was held loosely in his hand as he stared at the pale corpse in front of him. Shilo lay on her side, curled up with hundreds of corpses. He gently turned her onto her back and he knew the Zydrate from her tiny body would glow brighter and be more pure than any other vial. The dealer loaded an empty capsule into the syringe and brought it towards her face. He only hesitated for a moment and in that tiny pause, her eyes flashed open and locked on his. Suddenly he felt like he was buried under all the bodies he had harvested for Zydrate. He couldn't breathe or move until the world seemed to fade away to black and for a long time, there was nothing.

But life eventually forced its way back into place. A bright light glowed harshly on his closed eyelids and his body felt heavy as if all his bones had been replaced with lead. Eventually, he forced his fingers to move, just a twitch, but it was if a switch had been thrown and suddenly sound was assaulting his ears. A deep thrum resonated somewhere far away but closer by was a digital ping, just edging into the painfully loud range. Then the grave robber realized that one hand was very warm. When he tried to turn his head and open his eyes, someone squeezed his hand.

"Graverobber?" Someone spoke next to him and the hand squeezed again.

An ice chip was placed against his lips and he took it gratefully. A few more chips and he tried to speak. "Kid?"

Slowly and carefully he opened his eyes, squinting against the painful light. As his eyes adjusted he could slowly make out the shape of her hair silhouetted by the light. "You were dead. I saw you in the mausoleum."

Graverobber saw her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying and another tear slid down her cheek. He tried to wipe it away but his arm was caught in wires and tubes. Not understanding, he stared at the monitor on his finger and the IV in his arm. Then it hit him. He could hear his heart monitor beeping steadily along beginning to quicken as he realized where he was. Carefully he pushed down the blanket and wanted to faint at the sight of an angry line of stitches forming an L over his left pectoral. He wanted to scream. He was one of the few that had managed to avoid the operating table but now that was gone.

"What happened to me?"

"You found me sleeping in the mausoleum and you just fell over." Her throat tightened. "I thought you were going to die."

She wouldn't look at him but she raised one hand and ran a finger lightly over the healing stitches. "They had to replace your heart."

Shilo's voice sounded small and shook slightly. The grave robber let his head fall back against the pillow. "There is no way I'll be able to pay for it."

It was more of a statement to himself, but Shilo smiled slightly. "You don't have to. It's already paid for."

He looked at her suddenly. "What did you do?"

Again she wouldn't meet his gaze. "I sold mom's things and dad had a little money."

There was silence for a long time and the girl started to curl in on herself, drawing away from the older man.

"Why?" He abruptly broke the silence.

It was barely a whisper when she answered. "I couldn't let you die too."

"Its ok, Kid, but when can I leave?" Exhaustion overcame him and he didn't hear the girl's answer as he let sleep wash over him.

When Graverobber woke again, the first thing he noticed was the room was silent. Second, he realized that he was alone, and third, he was only connected to the IV and it glowed a pale blue. Great. Zydrate. Before he could contemplate the problems in store for him due to the drug, a door opened and Shilo entered. She had on his jacket despite it being much too large and a rainbow colored gas mas. Colorful clips and ribbons had been added to her black hair as well. And if he hadn't been expecting her, he wouldn't have guessed who she was. To be honest he thought she looked like a neon rainbow had puked on her. When he realized she had his satchel too, he looked askance at her.

"Why do you have my bag?"

"I was just taking care of your clients." She looked surprised and fumbled with her mask.

"You were what?"

"Keeping your clients happy so they didn't have to find another dealer."

Graverobber could feel his heart rate increase and anger flushed his skin at the thought of the petite girl being groped and pawed at for a fix. "That was stupid! What if one of them did something to you, or couldn't pay?" He growled and almost smirked at the shiver crawled down her spine.

"That's why I had your jacket, so they knew I was with you. And I only took cash up front." Shilo turned one pocket in the jacket out and chips rained onto his lap. "That's just from today." She looked up hopefully at him.

"What's with the getup?" Not that he minded the bright colors and wild textures. She stood out from the crowd for sure.

She looked shyly at herself again. "I needed a change and everyone recognizes me now because of the opera." Her eyes watered for a moment before she forced the emotion down and opened her bag. "I have your clothes so you can leave."

Graverobber fairly threw back the covers and leapt out of the bed at the suggestion before he noticed he was naked under the sheet. On one hand he was sure the Genterns hadn't done any other modifications while he was out. But on the other, Shilo had flushed bright red, slapped her hands over her eyes and spun around. He muttered an apology and quickly pulled on his pants and boots.

When he finished, Shilo turned back around and silently removed the IV, deftly sticking a piece of gauze over the puncture. For a moment she just stared at the healing stitches on his chest. Slowly, she raised her hand and ran her fingers through the hair sprinkled across his chest. As though realizing what she had done, she jumped back like she had burned herself. The grave robber didn't mention the strange action and just pulled on his shirt and jacket.

"Ready when you are, Kid." He tried to smile but felt naked in his usual clothes but without his makeup. Genterns ignored the pair as they made their way back through the building to the exits, but before they disappeared into the darkness, Shilo pulled on her mask. They walked in silence for a time until the taller man stopped in a deserted alley.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

"Maybe some harvesting and passing by some of your clients. I kind of wanted to show them that you haven't completely disappeared."

"Kid, this is such a dangerous job. I appreciate your help, but you should go home."

In some ways the girl was so naive, but he could see in her eyes that she was determined. "I don't want to go home." She looked away from a moment. "And it's kind of fun."

Graverobber blinked and then threw back his head and laughed. "Alright Kid, you're on. Besides, there is no way I should be outrunning the cops for a while."

He threw his arm around the tiny girl and grinned despite feeling the Zydrate beginning to wear off. They just reached the end of the alley when a barely dressed Z-junkie jumped out from around the corner, startling Shilo. The scarred man propelled Shilo against a dumpster, babbling at her with wild eyes.

"There you are, Bug. I've been looking all over for you. Just one hit. I can pay. I can treat you good, make you happy."

His breathless rant was cut off as he tried to rub up against her thigh when Graverobber's large hand closed around his neck. The scalpel slut made odd little squeals as he was pushed against the wall, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. Graverobber looked like he wanted to continue squeezing until the junkie's head popped off until Shilo placed her hand on his arm. The tall man released the junkie who crumpled and resumed babbling.

"I know she's yours, I just need a hit of Z. Graverobber, please, let me do something for the little lady."

Graverobber snarled at the pleading figure on the ground. "You're right, she is mine. Don't ever come near her again. Now go." He hurried the beggar on his way with a large boot to the ass.

Once the junkie was out of sight, Graverobber sat on an overturned crate, pressing one hand over his new heart.

"Are you ok?" Shilo was watching him closely.

"I'm fine. The Zydrate's wearing off a bit."

"Let's get you back to where ever you usually stay then." She slipped under his arm and helped him stand.

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday. Why?"

"No pickup tonight. That can will do." He pointed half a block up at a dumpster.

Graverobber quickly climbed into the container but was surprised when Shilo followed and closed the lid most of the way. She quickly busied herself with pushing the garbage lining the bottom around for a comfortable place to lay.

"Do you need help finding your way back to your house?"

"Um. I don't live there anymore. I gave it up to pay for your surgery." She tried to sound offhand as she pulled a vial of Zydrate from her stocking and fitted it into a gun.

"Why? That house was all you had."

The blue glow made her face more angular than it had been in her mother's crypt. It felt like ages ago she had first learned how to harvest the drug. "I was locked in it for 17 years. I think I needed a change. Now give me your arm."

For a moment he almost did as she asked. Part of him remembered the days swirling blissfully into months and the complete satisfaction of it all. But then part of him remembered how hard it was to escape. "I'll have another in the morning. I still feel fine." He lied, not meeting her eyes as she studied him.

"What are you not telling me?"

A patented smirk and he laid down. "Exactly."

Shilo tucked the vial away and curled up on the bed of trash. Blessedly it didn't take long for the grave robber to drift off to sleep.

When Graverobber opened his eyes again, he found that he didn't want to move. He had his arms wrapped around Shilo and she was pressed firmly against him all along his body. For several long moments he continued to lay as still as the dead and breathe in the scent of garbage and something only describable as Shilo. It suddenly dawned on him that nothing hurt despite the Zydrate having worn off. As if triggered by the thought, his muscles clenched and his teeth ground together. Withdrawal was always a bitch. Not wanting to crush the tiny girl next to him, Graverobber forced his limbs to obey and he climbed out of the dumpster without waking Shilo.

The orphaned girl woke to find she was alone in the metal box, but the lid was open. Suddenly worried about the newly healed dealer, she bolted upright shouting for him. "Graverobber?"

A flash of blue glow from her right caught her eye and she spotted the taller man sitting cross legged on top of another dumpster. Still groggy from sleep, the petite girl fell more than climbed out of the bin and stood by the grave robber.

"Graves?" She gently placed her hand on his knee to get his attention.

Slowly he looked from the glass vial he was twirling between his fingers. She could see the sweat beading on his brow despite his coat hanging next to him and the way every muscle seemed to be drawn tight and ready to snap. As if she expected him to lash out at her, Shilo took the vial and snapped it into the syringe. He didn't fight as she pushed back his sleeve and pressed the gun against his skin. But before she could pull the trigger, he gasped a single word through his clenched teeth.

"No."

Neither moved for an incredibly long heartbeat. "You've gone through this before." It wasn't a question and she nodded after a moment. "Alright."

Seeing Shilo awake and collecting his jacket got the grave robber moving. She slipped under his arm again and they made their way to the usual junkie alley. Graverobber was grateful that she didn't feel the need to fill the silence with talking and they only had to pause twice to allow him to empty his stomach until there was nothing left.

Before they entered the alley, he pulled himself upright and stepped away from Shilo. As soon as they appeared, addicts began pouring out of the walls, seemingly from nowhere. Graverobber leaned casually against the wall as the junkies clamored around her, saying "Bug" as pleading moans and then cries of ecstasy . But they all kept their hands to themselves. He was impressed as he watched Shilo step delicately around their writhing bodies. As the light played off her pale skin and the glowing gun highlighted her brightly colored hair, he vaguely thought she looked like the embodiment of the drug she administered.

One small hand on his chest brought him back to the alley. Shilo didn't flinch when he wrapped his arms around her thin frame and held her close, resting his chin on top of her head. He hummed in appreciation when the tremors seemed to fade. She was his Zydrate and he wasn't sure he minded.

Something thumped in the street and Shilo jerked back, cocking her head to listen. "Time to go."

She slipped her hand into his and pulled him down the alley after her. The grave robber had a slight sense of deja vu of the first night he had met Shilo, only their roles were now reversed. She confidently leading him along. They both grabbed a hold of handles on the back of the body truck and settled on the stripped bodies. Graverobber leaned back and slipped an arm around the petite girl, holding her close to his side. As they rode along, the tall man admired how much Shilo had grown up in only a few weeks. She could actually stand the corpses now and she didn't shy away from him. If he didn't know better, he would almost say she looked like a tiny woman now. But not quite.

He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he opened his eyes and saw the stars. Panic washed over the grave robber and his heart raced. Stars hadn't been visible for decades. He could feel bugs crawling across his skin but his muscles wouldn't obey. Slowly the stars faded and his heart pounded impossibly fast in his ears. A sun rose before him, bright and blinding and absolutely terrifying. And then as suddenly as when he opened his eyes, Shilo was leaning over him, her pale skin illuminated by glowing blue jars above her. Unsteady, he tried to raise a hand to her cheek and only managed to thump her in the ear. Shilo caught his hand and held it in hers.

"Oh, Graves. I thought you were going to die again."

It felt like his brain was running extra slow as he processed the nickname and the relief in her voice. "Would you have missed me, Kid?"

Though weak, she could hear the teasing tone in his words. With a laugh, Shilo collapsed gently on his chest. "Please don't make me worry about you again."

He chuckled and raised a hand to stroke her hair. But when his fingers met only skin he stopped. "Who shaved your head?"

Self consciously, Shilo jumped up and pulled on her multicolored wig, patting it into place with practiced ease. "Sorry. No one did."

Feeling better than he had in a long time, Graverobber sat up. "Why are you ashamed of it?"

"I'm not." The petite girl wouldn't look at him and busied herself with opening one of the glowing jars. "It's just not normal." One of the large glowing whip spiders scurried up her arm.

"What is normal?" Shilo startled when he slipped an arm around her waist and the other around her chest, trapping her arms. The insect took the chance to escape into a crack in the wall, briefly illuminating a portrait of Marni.

"It makes you beautiful." The words surprised even him as he hadn't meant to say them. But Shilo relaxed back against him.

"I trust you."

"Why?"

"Because you're the only person I know in the world and you've never tried to use me."

The feeling of her lithe form pressed against him made his blood sing but she trusted him. That was a completely new experience to him. He promised himself not to screw it up and gave her a quick squeeze.

"I'm feeling better now. Let's go raid the graveyard."

Shilo turned in his embrace and looped her arms around his middle. "That's the best suggestion I've heard in quite a while."

Hand in hand they slipped from Marni Wallace's tomb and vanished among the headstones.

Time passed for the odd pair, they developed a routine, junkies died, free samples were given, but they had each other. During the day, Graverobber would scour the city for discarded bodies, harvesting the glow. Shilo on the other hand had a foolproof mourner act that allowed her to harvest uninterrupted by the Genecops. Once their vials were full they would call the support group together for their fix and he would admire the graceful way Shilo managed the junkies. The worst part to the grave robber was watching the petite girl grow into a wonderfully lithe woman once the poison was out of her system. Graverobber found himself wishing for more than just nights spent in the cold metal bins. But she trusted him and he would never do anything to risk that.

Then one drizzly night, the last addict Graverobber wanted to see walked into their alley and right up to Shilo, still called Bug by the Z-addicts.

"So you're the one working with Graverobber." The self entitled bitch looked Shilo up and down not recognizing her. "Where is he?"

The tall man was thankful that he had been lounging in a dark corner and hadn't been spotted. "Why do you want him?" Shilo didn't back down when faced by the world's most powerful woman.

Amber Sweet's eyes seemed to slide off in two different directions and her head lolled on her thin neck, marred by numerous scars. "I want a good fuck and it's been a long time."

Bug's lip curled up remembering the night of the opera when Amber had ground so lewdly against the drug dealer. "I'll make sure he gets the message."

"Well, I want him now." Sweet stomped her foot like a pouting child.

Graverobber stepped out of the shadows directly behind Shilo, clearly sliding a hand across her hip and pressing against her small frame. "And what if he doesn't want you?" He asked coolly.

"You can't say no to me, I'm Amber Sweet!"

Before he could tell Amber where she could shove a Zydrate gun, Shilo quipped. "He just did, sweetheart." She pulled down her mask, turned in his arms and tiptoed, kissing him deeply.

A hundred thoughts flooded his brain, the loudest being 'just this once.' as he kissed back, palming her tight ass and pulling her up and closer. Amber gasped for a moment before clicking away angrily in her ridiculously high heels. When Graverobber began to slow the kiss, Shilo whispered against his lips.

"Don't stop."

In his surprise at her instruction, his mouth opened and she slipped her tongue against his. He was almost expecting his GeneCo heart to burst with happiness. But it kept on beating. Slowly they came down from their high of their first kiss and he let her stand flat on the ground again. The taller man wanted to keep her all to himself, wanted to worship every bit of her all natural body. She was his addiction, his Zydrate, clean and pure, but he didn't want it to be quick.

Gazing down on her pale face, lips bruised and puffy, he could read the same desire in her eyes. Always the gentleman, he stepped back and bowed, twirling his hand before offering it to her. Shilo's hand felt perfect in his and they ran together back to her mother's mausoleum, their unofficial home. There on the empty coffin he showed her how the living really felt alive.


End file.
